


Come away to the water.

by Skywolf1314



Series: Halex drabbles. [11]
Category: the raven key
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26136853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skywolf1314/pseuds/Skywolf1314
Summary: A clip from a chapter of my book.
Relationships: alex and hawk, corvus and hawk
Series: Halex drabbles. [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1385728
Kudos: 1





	Come away to the water.

_He knew he was dreaming. The comfort that used to come with sleep now seemed to be an anxious wait for the next nightmare to creep in. He was stood at the pit again, peering down into the blackness. He was not scared of it as it was comforting, a continuous thing that was ever-present in each one of the repetitive dreams._

_He could already feel the weeds slipping over his toes, wrapping around his fingers. They came to him like the itching that tormented his skin—another ever-present thing in his monotonous thoughts._

_" **Light-Bringer, son of Light-Bringer. Wolf, son of Wolf, son of Gods, son of Witch. Not Human nor God nor Witch. Hawk, they call you though you were born James."**_

_Hawk didn't have to turn to know who had spoken to him. There it was, another thing that appeared frequently. It stood over the pit, fleshy wings with sparse feathers fluttered wetly. It looked like him, its skin was too stretched and too tight for its skull, but it was him all the same. It watched him with glowing purple eyes; head cocked to one side and a grin so wide it showed his back teeth._

_"Why? Why am I here again? Haven't you had enough fun?" Hawk asked, though his words felt slow._

**_"We have spoken about this before,”_ ** _The fleshy wing curled towards him. **"I can't speak with you when the God blessed one is there, nor can I when my traitorous son is there. His wards are stronger than I thought. Anyway, must I have a reason for wanting to see you? You have my likeness, you know."**_

_Hawk tried to back away as a sticky hand reached out to him, the thorns on the weeds stood their ground, locking his ankles in place._

**_"I had your eyes once—that radiant gold. But my Brother took them from me; he gave them to the humans so they could see better—such filthy things." His fingers stroked under Hawks eyes, smearing oil and soot across his cheeks. "I had your skin too, that dark complexion known only by the sun, then I was locked down here and whithered to a pale wreck."_ **

_Hawk lurched as his fingers pressed against his lips, the snap of sulphur startled his nose, the taste of blood tickled his tongue._

_"Why me? Why me when you could have anybody."_

_His doppelganger tipped his head again, dense curls flopping across his features._

**_"Boy, you belong to me. If you just gave in, it will be nice and peaceful for you, like falling asleep, and maybe if you comply, I will let you watch as I remake the world."_ **

_Ivy gripped at his knees as Hawk struggled away from Corvus. His mirror's smirk grew wider the more Hawk tried to escape, thistles curled over his shoulders, the spines digging into his neck. The pit swirled, the darkness from inside it snaked up, its chilled hands holding Hawks wrists. Ravens shot from the blackness, their inky forms gliding above his head. They circled him; he was the carcass left ravished by the beasts. They would eat him, wear his body like a suit._

_"Let go of me! I will never be yours!" Hawk screamed, begging himself to wake up._

**_"you were mine from your cursed birth. You shouldn't exist, a creature such as you is the most unholy, you are the perfect vessel."_ **

_The ravens landed on his shoulders; they landed on his head. One pecked at the skin on his chin. The other ran its beak across his curse marks. Hawk swallowed his scream; it would be useless anyway._

_Why couldn't he wake up?_

_"I will never be your vessel."_

_Corvus let out a laugh; it sounded like Hawks on but it was deeper, menacing. He was afraid._

_A raven landed on Corvus' outstretched hand, the one that held Hawks face._

**_"Even with that scar across your mouth, you indeed are a sight. How envious the other gods will be,"_ **

_Corvus' fingers traced Hawks lips, the scrape of his talons caused welts of crimson to form along the soft flesh._

**_"Such a beautiful creature."_ ** _Those fingers slipped into his mouth, prying open his jaws. Hawk tasted the rotten blood as his teeth were coated in the oily substance that was always on Corvus' hands. His yells of pain were silenced by his tongue being pinned by his fingers. **"You and I are meant to be one. I am meant to own you. You will comply, you will obey. I AM THE RAVEN KING! I AM THE NEW KING OF THE GODS!"**_

_The raven that had perched on Corvus' arm let out a slow 'Rook, Rrrrook.' and hopped forward, its beak scratching against Hawks teeth._

_"I was the firstborn, even when Valek thought he was the only one. I was waiting in the shadows. An infant to the burning light of his wings."_

_Hawk gagged on his scream, and the vines pulled taut, holding him so tight that he was unable to move an inch._

**_"There there."_ **

_Hawk couldn't wake up; he couldn't force himself back to the cliff where Alex was, He couldn't do anything but feel the feathers of the raven tickle his throat._

**_"I will have you even if it takes me a year, even if it takes me two. You will be mine, and I shall walk the world once again."_ **

_The raven shoved its body down Hawks throat, cutting off his air._

_He couldn't breathe._

_Corvus grinned widely at him as black ooze spilt from his mouth._

_He couldn't wake up._

_Corvus leaned forward and wetly kissed his brow._

_He couldn't breathe._

_Hawk couldn't breathe._

_He couldn't wake up._

_He needed help._

_Alex, Alex, Alex. ALEX…_

∆∆∆

Alex awoke with a gasp and cupped his hand around his throat. He noted the lack of warmth he had fallen asleep with and the absence of the honey-rich scent of Hawk was alarming.

His body ached as he pulled himself up, scowing at the faint light of the sunrise. It was too early. He wanted to curl up next to Hawk again—like he always wanted to. But Hawk was gone, and Alex had an uncomfortable squeezing in his throat.

"James?" He yawned, grabbing his discarded underwear.

He got no reply and quickly tossed his remaining clothes on. A trek through the woods naked didn't seem all that appealing.

He looked around the little cliff again, but Hawk wasn't there, his clothes were, but he had vanished entirely.

"Shit," Alex muttered, throwing the remains of his flask on the embers of their fire, he would come back for the blankets.

The trees looked much creepier as he made his way into the woods; the sunlight was yet to breach the horizon, causing the branches to look like hands.

"HAWK!" He hollered, his palms sweaty with panic.

What if Sebastian had come? What if he had taken Hawk?

Alex wouldn't be able to live with himself if he had lost him because he didn't wake up. What if forest creatures had taken him? Alex hadn't been blind to the way the plants reacted to Hawk as they did with Ares. They curled towards him, on some cases he had seen vines curved around his ankles.

He could also just be peeing. But Alex's uncomfortableness didn't seem like it was brought on from that.

"Good one, Alex, you lost him. You brought him outside to try and help him, and you lost him. well done." He muttered to himself, scrambling over a bramble covered mound.

The forest was becoming thinner, which was probably a good thing, but Alex was too riled up to be bothered. What bothered him was that the bushes in the area had been trampled. It was as though someone had unknowingly walked through them.

"Hawk!"

There was a sound that made Alex's bones shiver. It was like a fox's cry but also like a ravens rook mixed with the scream of a human.

"Hawk," Alex breathed as he picked up the pace. He followed the narrow deer trail as the sounds grew louder, the bushes were almost flattened as he got closer to the sound of the fox/raven/human.

And there he was, staring into a crystal pool illuminated by strange glowing purple lights. They hovered over him as his naked form was as still as a statue. His name was on the tip of Alex's tongue, but Alex stopped himself.

In the reflection of the pool, Hawk's eyes were purple.

"Help me." Hawk croaked his hand clenching and unclenching.

Alex looked around, he wanted to go to him, desperately, but he could feel the magic that tinged the air, it made everything feel tingly. The whispering voices made him the most uncomfortable; they spoke his name in a tongue that was so old it was probably dead.

"James." Alex finally said, creeping forward.

Alex didn't have magic aside from his bow; the feeling of it was foreign against his skin; it made the hairs along his arms stand on end. Was this the power of the darkness that tried to get inside Hawk? Was this what the curse felt like?

"Alex, help me, help me. HELP ME! HELPMEHELPMEHELPME!" Hawk started screaming, but his body didn't flinch, the only movement was from his mouth, opening so wide the sides of his lips split.

Alex didn't know what to do; he didn't trust the power around them; he didn't trust the glowing purple orbs; he wanted to comfort his lover.

"I can't wake up. I can't wake up!”

Alex ran a hand down his face and let out a cold laugh.

"Fuck it."

Before he could scold himself, Alex lunged forward, his arms wrapping around Hawks waist. He used the momentum of their bodies to push them both into the pool. As soon as the water hit them, the burning itch of power vanished.

Alex coughed and scrambled to keep Hawks head above the surface.

"ALEX!" Hawk gasped, clawing at the water.

"Easy, Kitten. I've got ya." Alex lied, he wasn't sure if there was much of Hawk left to have.

"He wants me so bad." Hawk flailed as Alex moved them ashore. The trees rustled, their leaves leaned towards Hawk, as they always did.

Hawk wobbled as Alex had managed to get him back onto the grass, the purple lights were gone, thank the gods. Alex could at least rest easy knowing he didn't have to deal with that just yet.

"He…A raven…fuck." Hawk muttered, pressing his head against Alex's throat. Alex remained still, he trusted Hawk with every bone in his body, but he had a look about him, like a cornered animal. Alex was sure if he moved too quickly, Hawk would sink his teeth into the soft meat of his neck.

"Shh, come on we need to get you back and get you dry I can get a fire going, and you can tell me all about it.”

“I’m done for.” Alex could feel the scrape of his teeth, the poised just over his pulse. “I'm a dead man walking.”

Alex’s heart wept. Why did it have to be him? Why was it that the only human in existence who actually made him feel warmth, also happened to be the one who suffered so much? This was Alex’s fault as well. If he hadn’t been stupid enough to drag him into this, then Hawk would still be himself.

“You are James. You are Hawk. You are not dead.” Alex muttered his hand slipping under Hawk's chin, moving his head away.

“I want you to repeat that until we get back to our camp.”

Hawk shivered, his body wrapping around Alex’s in an attempt to steal his warmth.

“Please don’t let him have me.”

Alex would never get over how light Hawk was; he had forgotten the skinny thing he had found at Ares’ shrine. He pressed a kiss against his brow.

“I’d rather die and come back a thousand times than let him take you.” He affirmed. “You are my heart, remember? I need you to function.”

Hawk let out a forced laugh.

Alex sighed, kissing his brow again.

“Can you walk?”

Hawk nodded.

“We’ll get back, and I’ll get a fire sorted, then we can talk about this, I'm not having you die of hypothermia.”


End file.
